Sense of Place: How Finger Lakes Wine Survived Prohibition
This is the second post in our Sense of Place series, where we explore the history, terroir, geology, climate, and character of the Finger Lakes, including why this region produces such beautiful, crisp wines.
You may have assumed that Prohibition brought the region’s wine industry to a halt, but you'd be wrong. That's the familiar version of American wine history: the country banned alcohol, wineries closed, and American winemaking started over after repeal.
The history of the Finger Lakes is more...complicated.
Yes, Prohibition caused serious damage here. Vineyards disappeared, wineries closed, and a thriving regional industry became much smaller. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, only a handful of Finger Lakes wineries remained.
Yet wine production never disappeared completely.
The exemption that kept wine flowing
The Volstead Act, which enforced Prohibition, permitted wine to be produced for religious and medicinal purposes. That exemption provided a loophole that allowed a few creative and industrious Finger Lakes wineries to remain in business.
For example, Pleasant Valley Wine Company in Hammondsport survived by producing sacramental and medicinal wine. Along with a number of other established wineries, it had vineyards, equipment, cellars, winemakers, and relationships with grape growers, and its continued operation kept at least part of that system intact. Winemaking continued, and practical knowledge was passed on.
The demand for grapes also extended beyond licensed wineries. Grape juice remained legal, and federal law permitted families to make limited quantities of fruit juice at home. Some of that juice inevitably fermented, and voila! "Accidental" wine.
Continuity preserved the art of winemaking
Winemaking depends heavily on accumulated knowledge.
A winemaker learns how grapes respond to a particular growing season. A grower learns which slopes drain well, where frost settles, and when to harvest. Producers learn how to make the most of local grapes.
During Prohibition, the Finger Lakes lost wineries, vineyard acreage, investment, and momentum. But it did not lose every vineyard or every person who knew how to turn local grapes into wine.
When Prohibition ended, the region still had commercial wineries capable of expanding into broader production. There were still grape growers, winery workers, cellars, equipment, and a local culture built around grapes. That foundation helped the industry rebuild, even though recovery took decades.
The post-Prohibition years brought new people and new ideas. Charles Fournier arrived from France and helped improve winemaking and grape growing in the region. Dr. Konstantin Frank later demonstrated that European wine grapes could survive and produce high-quality wines in the Finger Lakes climate. Their work changed the direction of the region, building on the knowledge and experience of the existing grape-growing and winemaking community.
A history that still shapes the wine
Many American wine regions have excellent growing conditions and talented winemakers. The Finger Lakes region stands out because it has something that cannot be created quickly: nearly two centuries of collective experience with grapes and wine.
That continuity is what sets the Finger Lakes apart. It helped the region develop into the welcoming, thriving region that it is today, giving its winemakers the shared experience and momentum to produce wines that rank among the world’s best!
If you liked this post, you might enjoy reading about our honeymoon spent in another wine region, Napa Valley, back in 1998.
More stories and wines are coming, so if you want to stay updated on the latest posts, make sure to subscribe to our blog. And don’t forget to check out our Facebook group, Finger Lakes Food and Wine Adventure.
Cheers from the lake,
Niki & Scott
